Database: A Crossroads of Cultural Influences

Elements showing Ancient Greek influence in AlUla: two bronze coins inspired by the Athenian currency depicting owls; and a Medusa head carved on the facade of a tomb.

AlUla was not only a succession of diverse cultures over time. As a cultural crossroads, the area also gave rise to original contemporary combinations — long-distance merchants, other travellers, and artisans converged there, for example during the Nabataean period. As a result, Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Hellenistic (Greek, 323 BCE – 32 BCE, between Alexander the Great and the Roman Empire) stylistic references appear integrated into the facades of the majestic tombs of Hegra, together adapted and transformed into a rich and multifaceted local identity. Faces of the Medusa type, inspired by the fearsome Gorgon of Greco-Roman mythology, are a good example. Carved on the facades of certain tombs, they may have served a talismanic function, warding off evil—or intruders!